What Are the Sunnas Related to Burping and Passing Wind?
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question:Assalamu alaykum,
What are the etiquettes related to burping and passing wind?
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
There is no specific sunna supplication that I’m aware of with regards to burping and passing wind.
Burping: What’s the Etiquette?
It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to a person who burped in his presence, “Restrain your burping from us, for verily the hungriest of people on the Day of Judgement will be the most satiated of them in this life.” [Tirmidhi]
Munawi, Qari and others explain that the warning is with respect to what brings about burping, which is satiation, as opposed to the burping in and of itself. [Munawi, Fayd al-Qadir; Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]
But what we can glean from this tradition and the general sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is that one should strive to:
1. Cover the mouth,
2. Muffle the sound, and
3. Hide the smell.
Then, from the perspective of appreciating the tremendous blessings of Allah of food and drink, it would be fine to praise Allah by saying “alhamdulillah.” And from the perspective of considering the warning found here, it would be fine to seek forgiveness by saying “astaghfirullah.”
Passing Wind & Proper Manners
If one needs to relieve themselves by passing wind, they should use the bathroom. It is unbefitting of a believer who has any self-respect to do so in public unless they are away from other people. Doing otherwise is contrary to proper manners and the standards of our lofty religion.
When leaving the bathroom, it is from the sunna to seek forgiveness, and praise Allah by saying, “Praise be to Allah who removed harm from me and gave me well-being (alhamdulillah alladhi adhaba `anni al-adha wa `afani).”
الْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنِّي الأَذَى وَعَافَانِي
And Allah alone gives success.
wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
